"On the 14th of August 1601, the Keeper of the Tides dropped his net into the River Thames, and pulled out a golden fish." A magus dreams of turning London into a city of gold—literally—in this second novel for readers 9 and up by the author of Tanglewreck and the Whitbread Award winner Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit. But the magus cannot perform this feat alone, and so kidnaps young Jack, the chosen one, the Radiant Boy he needs in order to perfect the alchemy. But Jack is not a willing assistant, and instead he embarks on a magical adventure to save the city, release a dragon, and set free seven other boys kidnapped in the past.